Does Late Night Exercise Prevent You From Sleeping?

Exercising is an important part of our health and it has many benefits, which include improving your mood, increasing your energy levels, and speeding up your metabolism. But the question still remains, can exercise actually prevent you from sleeping at night?

According to information published by the sleep foundation, they’ve actually seen improvements in sleep for people who have sleep insomnia and sleep apnea.

Although the overall results across the board are improved sleep, there are still some people who can be sensitive to exercising before bed.

When you exercise your heart rate increases and your adrenalin starts pumping. So for some people exercising before bed can make it harder for a minority group of people to fall asleep from exercising before bed.

Typically we recommend clients to exercise no more than 2 hours before bed. Exercising has been shown in research to help you improve your sleep duration and quality. You’ll likely sleep better if you exercise for 20 minutes no later than 2 hours before bed.

It comes down to what works best for you and your body.

One study that looked into moderate exercise in adults who had trouble sleeping had some promising results. They tested a group of 23 men and women, 50% of the group didn’t follow any exercise routine, and the other 50% of the group started exercising twice a week for 30 minutes.

After 16 weeks, the exercise group had seen an improvement in their sleep. Sleep duration and quality had a positive improvement.

Another added benefit was that daytime sleepiness was also reduced. The group that didn’t follow the exercise routine maintained the same results that they started with.

There are benefits to exercising at different times of the day. Exercising in the afternoon helps to balance your circadian rhythm, which can help you stay alert during the day. Exercise increases your energy if you’re ever feeling sluggish.

If you enjoy working out in the morning then there is another set of benefits. Exercising before breakfast can help you burn more fat and keep your insulin levels balanced.

It’s also nice to complete workouts in the morning to get them over with so you can check them off your schedule, rather than trying to squeeze a workout in at the end of the day.

Matt Green is a health and fitness expert who trains clients and helps anyone achieve the health and fitness goals they are reaching for. Matt has been into health and wellness for over 13 years. For more information please check out his short bio

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